Swivel-joint assembly



June 13, 1950 M. TROPPER SWIVEL JOINT ASSEMBLY Filed Sept. 3, 1947 IN VEN TOR. fiases fia er Patented June 13, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SWIVEL-JOINT ASSEMBLY Moses Trapper, Forest Hills, N. Y.

Application September 3, 1947, Serial No. 771,901

4 Claims.

This invention relates to swivel-joint assemblies, and, more particularly, to a form having normal relative movement between the housing members slightly less than 360 degrees.

The principal object of this invention is to provide in a device of the character described, an assembly which is extremely simple in construction, economical to manufacture, sturdy, and which will readily lend itself to mass production and assembly by unskilled labor.

A further object of this invention is to provide a device of the character stated above which has a minimum of parts.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a swivel-joint assembly in which the one cooperating stop member also serves to provide a removable closure to an aperture in the housing to permit ready access to the housing interior.

Numerous other objects of this invention will be readily apparent from a consideration of the following specification taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a form of device embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view on the line 22 of Fig. 1 except for the stop member I2 which is partially in side elevation and partially broken away to show a partial section also on the said line 2-2; and,

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the said form of device as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, it will be seen that It represents generally the one housing member and II the other housing member, while I2 indicates generally the removable stop member.

The housing member II] will preferably be substantially cylindrical externally, with a bore I3 extending longitudinally therethrough substantially concentric to the longitudinal axis of the housing member It. Threads I4 or other suitable means may be provided for application of the device to a lamp standard or the like, and, where desired, one or more additional apertures I5 may be provided extending transversely with respect to the longitudinal axis of the housing member an to provide means for attaching lamp arms or brackets and the like or to provide access means to the interior of the housing member, for example, to serve as an aid in wiring a lamp.

The housing member I I will also preferably be substantially cylindrical externally, and preferably formed with a main portion l6 and a reduced portion I1. Threads I8 are provided upon the housing member II (and where this housing member has a reduced portion as illustrated,

such as ll, these threads I8 will be upon the reduced portion) which threads I8 are engageable threadedly with the cooperating threads IQ of housing member It] to permit relative rotational movement between the housing members I0 and II upon their respective threads I9 and I8.

In assembling the unit, the one housing member II is positioned adjacent to the other housing member II! in longitudinal alignment therewith and then brought into threaded engagement therewith by means of the cooperating threads l8 and I9.

A bore 20 of substantially the same size as bore I3 extends longitudinally substantially throughout the length of the housing member II and substantially concentric to the longitudinal axis thereof, and, when the housing members are assembled, this bore 20 is substantially in longitudinal alignment with the bore I3 of housing member I0.

Another bore 2| is provided extending through the housing member I I transversely with respect to the longitudinal axis thereof and bore 20 and communicating with the latter.

The stop member I2 may be inserted in this transverse bore 2| so as to project therefrom and also to serve as a closure therefor. This stop member I2 may have threads 22 to engage with corresponding threads 23 in the bore 2| for securing the stop member I2 in position.

A substantially annular collar 24 is provided concentric to the rotational axis of housing members Ill and I I extending longitudinally beyond the main portion of housing member II] to surround the main portion I6 of the housing member II adjacent the reduced portion IT for the purposes more fully hereinafter explained.

A stop is provided on the housing member I!) to cooperate with the stop member I2 of housing member II. This stop member 25 on the annular collar 24 projects sufficiently to engage the projecting portion of stop member I2 when the latter has been inserted into the member II after the housing members have been assembled in threaded engagement with each other as described hereinabove. In practice, the housing members will be left free to rotate upon their respective threads l8 and I9 but once the stop member I2 has been inserted into housing member II, this rotation will be limited to less than one complete turn or rotation of 360 degrees, and, since it is contemplated that the housing members will be threadedly engaged with each other to the extent of several turns, it is apparent that rotation less than a complete turn will not longitudinally disengage the housing members one from the other.

Even limited rotational movement between the housing members It and I l upon their respective threads will cause relative movement of the housing members Ill and II along their longitudinal axis. It is obvious that rotation upon their respective threads in a direction which would ultimately disengage the housing members.- II] and II- from each other. at some point; will cause. a spacing to occur between the end of the main portion It of the housing member I I and the ad jacent end of housing member I0, where the housing member II has a reduced portion; but

it is intended that the annular collar 24 willexetend longitudinally of housing member II sufliciently to normally cover this spacing when it; occurs in the assembled unit.

It will be understood that this invention is not confined to the specific details shown and described. nor is the application of the invention herein disclosed confined merely to. use as a swivel joint assembly for lamps although particularly adapted thereto, and numerous changes their respective threaded portionssaid means,

including an annular collar, projectingfrom saidv one housing member concentric to the common,

rotationalaxis of said housing membersandextending beyondthe threaded portion ofv said, other housing member to a point sufficient to cover,the spacing causedb'y limited relative rotationaland axial movement. of said housing members and inter-engaging meanson said housing members.-

providing for limited free rotational movement, of: the assembled housing membersandjpreventing axial disengagement of the housing. members.

one from theother.

2. In a device of the character described; a plurality of housing members, one of said meme here being threadedly engageable in another thereof and being freely rotatable relatively.

thereto, a member engaging oneof said housing members and projecting therefrom, andla member on the otherofsaid housing membersadapted to.

engage said projecting member to, provide, for

limited free relative rotational movement between the housing members.

3. In a device of the character described, a pair of housing members, one of said members having an internal threaded portion and the other of said members having an external threaded portion adapted to be threadedly engaged by said internal threaded portion, said housing members being relatively free to rotate clockwise and counter;clockwise. between: certain limits relative; to; each other about a, common. axis upon their respective threaded portions, a stud on one ofgsaid housing members, and a cooperating stop member on the other of said housing members forlimiting'free relative rotational movement of saidhousing members in each direction whereby to prevent axial disengagement of the one of said' housing members from the other thereof and. to. prevent locking said members together upon their respective threads and to prevent complete relative rotational movement of the said housing members.

4;,In a swivel-joint? assembly of the character described, a pair of'housing members; one ofsaid housing members'having a main portion and: a reduc'edjportion, threads on said reducediportion, the other of" said: housing members having anaperture therein to receive saidreduced' portion, threads, on aid? apertured housing member for threadedly' engaging the threads of said reduced portion whereby the said housing members may be secured together in positionto move freely relatively with respect to'each other upon said threads, andmeans extending substantially about" 35; the periphery of the. apertured. member at the aperture thereofffor covering the axialspacin of the' members caused by'limited relative rotation of they members upon their respective threads"; anda stopcarried by each of the said 0 housing members to providelimits betweenwhich Number, Name Date- 50,138 Kaylor Sept. 26, 1865 1,559,874 Holland Nov. 3, 1925 1-,734;996- Butler-- Nov. 1-2 1929 1,8'1'71'808" Eaton- Aug. 4, 1931 2,O1 7;187 Steffen Oct. 15; 1935 2,'-1l6;004 Tear Mays; 1938 2,250,495 Miller July-29, 194-1 2,423,762" Everett July 8, 1947 thehousing members are-free to rotate and'preventing rotation beyond these limits;

MOSES TROPPER.

REFERENGES- GITED The following, references are of, record in the,

file of. this;- patent:

UNIZEED STATES IPATENTSL' 

